US company, which partnered with a convicted Pakistani felon, provided high resolution satellite images of Pahalgam before terror attack: Details
A US-based company named Maxar Technologies, which had partnered with a controversial Pakistani firm last year, had provided high-resolution satellite images of Pahalgam and the surrounding areas just 2 months before the terror attack that killed 26 civilians (primarily Hindus).
According to a report by The Print, Maxar Technologies received 12 orders between 2nd February and 22nd February this year for high-resolution images of Pahalgam and sensitive areas like Anantnag, Poonch, Rajouri, and Baramulla.
The purchases were made on 12th February, 15th February, 18th February, 21st February, and 22nd February. No orders were placed in March 2025. One order for high-resolution image of Pahalgam was made on 12th April, i.e. 10 days before the terror attack.
Data and image via The Print
Two additional purchases were made on 24th April and 29th April. Each high-resolution satellite image costs upwards of ₹3 lakhs.
They are used by defence agencies across the globe to monitor weapon installations, infrastructure development, troop movements, smuggling and illegal border crossings and conduct facial profiles of individuals walking on the streets.
Maxar Technologies has Government and Defence agencies as its clients. The Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD), Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and 11 space tech startups have availed the services of the US-based company.
Indian regions for which order was placed with Maxar Technologies, image obtained by The Print
An ISRO scientist told The Print, “Satellite surveillance has become the backbone of any country’s intelligence. While it is unclear whether these images could have been used for planning the April 22 attacks in Pahalgam, India could ask Maxar to conduct an investigation into the ordered images.”
Partnership of Maxar Technologies with controversial Pakistani company
Maxar Technologies had partnered with Business Systems International Pvt Ltd (BSI), a Pakistani geo-spatial firm founded by Obaidullah Syed, in 2024. For the unversed, Syed is a Pakistani-American businessman.
He was convicted by a US federal court for exporting software application solutions and high-performance computer equipment to the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) illegally under the pretext of providing it to universities and his businesses.
“The PAEC is a Pakistani government agency designated by the US government as an entity which may pose an unusual or extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, or economy of the United States,” The Print quoted an US agency report.
Syed had pleaded guilty to the charges in 2022. It was found that he was operating without a licence and had submitted false export reports between 2006 and 2015.
He had also handed over $247,000 of illegally obtained funds to the US government. Syed was sentenced to 1 year and a day in prison.
His Pakistan-based company, Business Systems International Pvt Ltd (now a partner of Maxar Technologies), has been involved in criminal activities, including providing resources illegally to the Pakistan government agencies.
Business Systems International Pvt Ltd is headquartered in Karachi and claims to have been operational since 1980. It has branches in Lahore, Islamabad, and Faisalabad.
It must be mentioned that a paying partner of Maxar Technologies can have access to the order of high-resolution satellite images placed by other partners unless it is ‘confidential.’
“The problem is that they (Maxar) are a business enterprise. They will provide services to anyone who is paying them…Of course, there are challenges when you depend on a third party for surveillance data. They have no obligation to be loyal to you,” an ISRO scientist told The Print.
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